


And Then The Alcohol Hit

by AliceMayWrite



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Best Friends, Cheeky kisses, Drunkenness, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Going the club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25169479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceMayWrite/pseuds/AliceMayWrite
Summary: Leslie wants the whole gang to go out.
Relationships: Leslie Knope & Ann Perkins, Leslie Knope & Ron Swanson, Leslie Knope/Ann Perkins, Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	And Then The Alcohol Hit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deannatroiswife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deannatroiswife/gifts).



> this one sort of ended up writing itself haha  
> (written for my sister)

_“We’re getting drunk.”_

Leslie slammed two coupons onto the table in the middle of the room, where Ann was sat with Jerry, which prompted him to jump violently, spilling tea down his sweater.  
“Hey Les, how are you?” Ann tried.  
“No time, Ann! It’s two coupon night at the Snakehole Lounge and we _need_ to make the most of it!”  
Ron, who had been stood by his office door holding a cup of tea, coughed. “Uh… _why,_ exactly?”  
Leslie huffed. “ _Because_! It’s a Friday, and we need to all go out as a department and get totally wasted. Think of it as a compulsory work excursion.”  
“Last time we did that, you made us go camping and tried to get us to stay up all night thinking of ideas,” Ann reminded her. Leslie huffed again.

“Well, _I_ for one, think it’s a great idea!” Tom yelled, jumping over to Leslie and giving her a high five.  
“Is that just because you practically _live_ there?” Ben asked, entering the room with some files. He stopped to give Leslie a quick peck on the lips before looking at her. “Not that I’m not down for it, but why the sudden need to get drunk?”  
“Because!” Leslie said indignantly. “I feel like I barely see you guys anymore, and I want to be able to hang out and chat like we used to!”  
“Did we?” Donna asked, looking around the room in confusion. “I think I only found out Ben’s last name the other day.”  
“You- you were at our wedding…?” Ben answered, confusion on his face.

At that moment, Andy and April returned from the courtyard. When Leslie told him they were going out as a group, he whooped loudly.  
“That sounds like fun! Can I come in costume again?”  
"I- yeah, sure!"  
"Cool! I'm not drinking any more snakejuice, though. That stuff had me upside down in the bin all night."  
"It's true," April drawled. “It sounds terrible, but I’ll come anyway,”   
Leslie nodded. “Hm, yeah, that’s pretty much what I expected. We’re meeting there at nine pm sharp, so don’t be late!”

***

“So this is just because you want to have fun?” Ben asked Leslie as they pulled up outside the bar in a taxi. Leslie paid the driver, and the two of them stepped out onto the chilly street.  
“ _Yes_. Do you not think we deserve it? We’ve been working so hard lately.”  
“Correction- _you’ve_ been working hard. I feel like the rest of the department just lean on you.”  
“It’s been like that for a while, babe. Besides, why challenge such a good system?”  
Before Ben could respond telling her that was ridiculous, a familiar face jogged up to meet them.

“ _Ben Wyatt! Leslie Knope!”  
_“Chris!” Leslie cheered. Chris was wearing a white shirt and black jeans, and while he had clearly jogged from his house, the clothes were still immaculate. It was like he sweated positivity.  
“Are you drinking tonight?” Ben asked him as the three of them made their way inside.  
“I am not. I have recently discovered the calorie count in over seventy different alcohols, and I fear that I could jeopardize my two point eight percent body fat should I have even _one_ drink tonight.”  
“But… you _did_ jog here,” Leslie tried. Chris tilted his head, computing.  
“ _Leslie Knope_! You make a good point. I’ll have one.”  
“Yay!”

The place was booming, as usual, but Leslie’s eyes immediately met with Ann, who was sat with Donna in one of the big booths. Leslie watched as Donna aggressively told Jean-Ralphio to find another spot, and then chuckled as he proceeded to slink away.  
Ann saw Leslie and the boys coming over, prompting her to stand up and yell something, a grin on her face. Leslie couldn’t hear her, so instead she just gave Ann a tight squeeze.  
“ANN! YOU DELICIOUS GODDESS!”  
“Leslie, you’re yelling down my ear!”  
Leslie felt Ben tap her shoulder. “I’ll get us two drinks in!”  
“Okay!”

***

For a while Ben was, as usual, slightly uncomfortable with dancing in public. And then the alcohol hit, and he suddenly found himself swaying to the beat, a grin on his face.  
Chris, on the other hand, was a terrible dancer whether he had a few or not. Leslie had managed to convince him to have two, and clearly his tolerance was low, because he was strutting about the dancefloor like some kind of uncoordinated Mick Jagger.

Ann and Leslie were laughing from the sidelines. They were on their fourth glass now, and it felt like everything was utterly hilarious. They passed April, who was donned in her Janet Snakehole outfit.  
“Have you seen Burt?!” she yelled in a thick accent. “I need his _protection_ , I’m being hunted by a _murderer_!”  
“Who!?” Leslie asked, playing along.  
April didn’t reply, rather she just pointed dramatically at Ann with wide eyes, and Ann sighed.  
“Ugh, really?”  
“Fine. It’s _him_!” April pointed across the dancefloor at Jerry, who was talking avidly to Ron, who didn’t seem at all interested.

“Oh jeez, I’d better rescue Ron,” Leslie said, pulling Ann by the arm as they weaved their way through the crowd. Ann turned around briefly to see Andy jump out at April, and the two of them began to fiercely kiss, falling against a table with legs flying everywhere.  
_They’re gonna get kicked out_ , Ann thought with a grimace.  
“Ron!” Leslie called. Ron jumped up, eager for any distraction from Jerry. He walked over to them, and the three friends collapsed into a booth.  
“Have you seen Ben and Chris dancing?” Leslie asked him.  
“Indeed. They look like they’ve both taken some kind of laxative and are locating a bathroom.”  
Leslie snorted. “That’s hilarious!”  
“Yeah!” Ann added. “And have you seen Andy and April?! They’re going at it over there, look- oh _wait_ , they’re getting escorted out. Yikes.”

All of a sudden, Tom and Donna appeared next to the booth, with the former holding a tray of shots.  
“Leslie Knope, going out tonight was the best idea you’ve ever had!”  
“Better than the Harvest Festival?” Leslie asked with a chuckle, accepting a shot.  
“One _million_ times better.” Tom downed his shot and then winced. Leslie watched as he jumped up, clapping his hands together. “Ooh! Time for Tommy to hit the scene!”  
Donna rolled her eyes. “I’d better go after him. When he gets this drunk, women think he’s trying to get them to invest in pyramid schemes. He’s unintentionally fooled a few suckers before.”

Once the shots had gone down, the three of them returned to the dancefloor. Leslie enjoyed it massively when Ben’s eyes lit up upon her return.  
“I love this song!” he yelled, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.  
“Me too!”  
The two of them danced together, enjoying each other’s company. Leslie found that drunk dancefloor kisses hit in a different way, and she felt the utter love for Ben radiated from her body as he spun her around, singing along.

Soon, Ron stated that he was going to get another round of drinks at the same time that Chris Trager announced that he needed the bathroom, and then Ann was pulling Leslie’s arm.  
“I kinda’ need to go too. Will you come with?”  
Leslie nodded, and the four of them made their way to the corridor where the toilets were located.  
Ann disappeared to go the toilet, as did Chris, leaving Leslie and Ben to start furiously kissing as they waited for their friends.

“What was this all about?” Ben asked between kisses. “Getting everybody out like this?”  
“I don’t know,” Leslie admitted with a small sigh. “I feel like we’ve barely seen each other recently.”  
“And going out was a way to fix that?” Ben asked with a laugh. “It’s not like we can really socialize here.”  
“I just felt a little… burned out,” Leslie admitted.  
“Oh, babe, I wish you’d told me sooner.”  
“Things have been crazy lately, and I just wanted us all to relax for once.”  
Ben’s eyes widened. “Wow, I never hear you use the ‘R’ word. Everything okay?”  
Leslie pulled him in for another kiss. “It is now.” Ben smiled. “I also need to use the whizz palace. I will be right back.”

***

She got into the toilet, and Ann was there waiting.  
“Leslie!” she cheered. The two friends found themselves hugging.  
“I just need the toilet Ann, and then we can carry on dancing.”  
When Leslie finished, and went to wash her hands, she saw that Ann was leaning against the sinks, watching her with a smile.  
“What’s wrong?” Leslie asked her.  
“I’m just happy. And it’s all thanks to you.”

Leslie looked at her in confusion. “What are you saying? You’re incredible, Ann, it’s all thanks to you that you’re so beautiful and amazing.”  
Ann looked at her for a second, and then she leaned over and kissed her passionately. It only lasted for a second, and soon the two of them broke apart, only to immediately begin howling with laughter.  
And then they were hugging.  
“Oh god, I love you!” Ann yelled down her ear.  
“I love you too! You really _are_ a delicious goddess!”

When they got outside, they were giggling like crazy. Chris and Ben were chatting but looked at them in surprise.  
“Hey!” Leslie hollered at Chris. “Guess who I just kissed?”  
_“Ann Perkins?”_ Chris asked, raising his fingers, and pointing at Ann. That prompted the two friends to burst into laughter again.  
Ben smirked. “You’re kidding? Do I get an invite next time?!”  
Leslie leaned over to kiss Ben. “You bet your cute little butt you do.”  
"Ooh!" Ben said, grinning.  
“Yeah!” Ann added, looping her arm around Chris’ shoulder. “Let’s all just do it.”

At that moment, Ron appeared, sticking his head around the corridor.  
“There you are!” he called. “I’ve got another round of shots. For you, anyway. I’ll be having another whiskey.”  
As they all trailed out of the toilets, Leslie felt Ann lean over. Then her hot breath in her ear.  
“Until next time, then.”  
That got her giggling again, a giggling fit that lasted until they were back in the booth.

***

“A quick update,” Ron said as he handed her the shot. “Donna drove Tom home after he vomited on Jerry’s shoes.”  
“Yikes!” Leslie replied. “And Jerry?”  
“I think Jerry’s walking home- Donna didn’t want him stinking out the van.”  
They all nodded. “Makes sense,” Ben muttered.  
“So, it’s just us left, then?” Leslie asked. “I think Andy and April left early, but they looked fine…”  
“It’s just us!” Chris chirped. “This night has _literally_ , been the best of my life. To Leslie- for organizing it!”

The four of them clinked their glasses, and then downed their shots. Ron watched them, slowly sipping his whiskey.  
“Are you sufficiently relaxed now?” Ben shouted down Leslie’s ear.  
“What do you mean?” Ron asked.  
“I wanted a night with my friends. I feel like we’ve all been busy lately, and I missed hanging out. Don’t look at me like that, Ron! You know I put waffles and friends over work.”  
“It’s not that, I just wish you’d told us sooner if you were down.”  
Ben slapped Ron’s shoulder. “That’s what I said!”

Leslie sighed happily. “It’s fine, guys. This is just what I needed.”  
She looked around the table. Ann was leaning on her shoulder, yawning into her hand. Ron was finishing off the last of his whiskey. Chris was jiving again and was dangerously close to getting back up and dancing. Finally, she looked at Ben, who smiled at her.  
“Time to leave?” he asked her, his eyes bright.  
“Yeah. Let’s go.”

The five of them were stood outside (well, four of them were stood- Chris was furiously lunging on the spot) when all of their phones collectively pinged.  
“Jerry’s home safe,” Ben announced. “His socks are all wet, though.”  
"Probably should have thought of that before getting vomited on," Chris said between lunges. They all nodded in agreement.  
The message before that was a selfie- Donna looking annoyed at Tom, who was lying on her designer fluffy rug.  
“Do you guys want to come back to ours?” Ben asked. “We have more alcohol at ours.”  
“Do you have-”  
“Yeah, Ron, we have whiskey. Leslie buys it specially for you, you _know_ that.”  
“Then yes, I will accompany you all.”

The five of them got a taxi back to the Knope-Wyatt household, and most of them ended up talking until well into the early hours of the morning. Ann had immediately passed out on Chris’ shoulder, snoring, but he didn’t seem to mind.  
When it hit four am, Leslie, Ben and Ron left the two of them sleeping sitting up on the sofa, placing two glasses of water on the coffee table for the morning, before opting to cover them with a fluffy blanket.

“Do you think that’ll be awkward in the morning?” Leslie whispered to Ron.  
“I don’t know if I’m the best person to ask. I find most physical contact unnecessary, unless you are giving somebody a firm handshake after a transaction is completed.”  
Leslie rolled her eyes. “You could have just said _no_.”  
“It’s fine,” Ben promised. “You know Chris, he’s like a puppy.”  
That seemed like a perfect explanation, so they just left it.

Ben went to get changed, and then Leslie was leading Ron to the guest bedroom.  
“Does Diane know you’re staying the night?”  
“She does.”  
“Have you got a glass of water?” she asked him. Ron rolled his eyes.  
“I told you, Leslie. I don’t get hangovers. _Usually_ I cook steak when I get home from a night on the town, but you seemed to think that was dangerous.”  
“Do you have the water?”  
Ron groaned. “Yes.”

Leslie felt a surge of happiness, so leaned forwards to give him a hug. He froze up for a second, before awkwardly patting her shoulder. When she pulled away, he fixed her with a stare.  
“I hope tonight was what you wanted.”  
Leslie smiled. “Aw, Ron. It was perfect. Thank you for coming.”  
Ron nodded his head slowly. “I was glad to be there. Goodnight, Leslie.”  
“Goodnight, Ron.”  
She watched him slowly shut the door, before retiring to her room.

***

“I just remembered I kissed Ann. Do you mind that I kissed Ann?” Leslie asked Ben as she got changed. He watched her from the bed, smirking slightly. “It’s just occurred to me that it was probably a little weird.”  
“Don’t stress about it,” Ben soothed as she jumped in beside him. “Besides, I can do something to you now that Ann would only dream of…” Leslie giggled, and the two kissed again.  
“God, I love you Benjamin Wyatt.”  
“I love you too, Leslie Knope.”

It was just them, and in that moment, that was all they needed.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
